Fish Pedicure Report Worries Businesses

18th October 2011, 13:06

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There are concerns that a new report which says people could be at risk of catching serious infections from fish pedicures could damage businesses.

The Health Protection Agency finds in spas which aren't as clean as they could be - there's a small chance of HIV and Hepatitis C being spread.

But Richard Dean, who's the owner of The Fish Foot Spa in Colchester, is worried that this report could lead to less people visiting his company: "There's always that risk if people hear it can cause diseases there's is that worry of people that will think 'I would rather not have that', but this process has been used for a long long time and there is a very very very low risk if people do not reach the health and safety requirements.

"In our place it is very very very clean and I think it's important to stress that you've got to go to the right places where hygiene is kept up to a very high standard."

You can hear more from Richard Dean here

Dr Hilary Kirkbride, consultant epidemiologist at the HPA, said: "Provided that good standards of hygiene are followed by salons, members of the public are unlikely to get an infection from a fish spa pedicure, however the risk will be higher for certain people.

"This is why we feel it's important for salons to ensure the client has no underlying health conditions that could put them at risk, and that a thorough foot examination is performed, to make sure there are no cuts, grazes or existing skin conditions that could spread infection."